An offer he can't refuse
by JuniperMoon
Summary: Jonouchi is drafted into the yakuza (Jap. mob) and turns into someone the gang no longer recognizes. If you want to see Jonouchi be the bad ass he is (but hasn’t been since he’s with nice little Yugi all the time) this fic is for you. Possible SetoJon
1. The right choice

An offer he can't.well you know the rest.  
  
Jonouchi is drafted into the yakuza (Japanese mob) and turns into someone the gang no longer recognizes. If you want to see Jonouchi be the bad ass he is capable of being (but hasn't been since he's with nice little Yugi all the time) this fic is for you. Possible Seto/Jonouchi pairing in later chapters.  
  
Notes: I apologize if I get any Yakuza related info wrong, I'm not a part of the group and thus not very knowledgeable about what is going on. I noticed that a lot of Jonouchi stories involve him being beaten by his dad and getting help from Kaiba. This is a good plot but I love Jonouchi and I don't want any relationship formed when he is all emotionally vulnerable and beaten for once.  
  
Jonouchi ran his fingers desperately through his hair as he leaned precariously forward in the chair he was provided. "Come on brain, " he cursed silently in his thoughts, "Wake up! Tell me I'm dreaming! Tell me I'm delusional! In a coma! Anything.just please don't let this be happening."  
  
The click-clack of a Zippo lighting a cigarette in the far corner of the room echoed to the blonds' ears telling his brain had failed him in his prior request. "Alright then, if it is really happening, come up with a solution! A way out!" He admonished himself.  
  
He had been walking to meet Yugi before school, a car pulled beside him and told him to get in. Of course he was going to refuse the sickos until he saw they had guns discretely out and pointed in his direction and repeated themselves very politely. Now he was sitting in an uncomfortable chair in an all too conveniently remote warehouse.  
  
"You are very lucky, Jonouchi, the Domino yakuza wants you. I've seen where you live, believe me, it is the best thing that could have happened to you." The cool as a cucumber, 20-something year old, leader said with a warm smile. His black hair was shoulder length but fashionably so, making no mistake that he was a man, and judging from the suit he was wearing a pretty powerful one. He had been introduced to Jonouchi in the car as Lyric. Yup, just like a goddamn poem or song. His name given when his work in the field was praised by some higher ups as "epic and inspiring like a poem from the masters". Lyric had told him this as modestly as he could, but the looks on his companions' faces told the teen that the compliment had been well earned.  
  
Jonouchi had figured right off when he saw the guns that it was the yakuza, although why they would have interest in him he had no clue. It spelled misery no matter how he looked at it and while the thought to just walk out and let them try to shoot him did occur to him, there were more important things than his life that they could take and he had heard stories.  
  
"What could the yakuza want me for? I'm just a young nobody." Jonouchi responded looking up at last facing whatever was to come next. While his question wasn't the most pressing one he had, it was the one that kept getting in the way of him thinking about the rest of them.  
  
Lyric snapped his fingers and a nameless lackey brought forth a chair. Lyric thanked the man and sat right across from the boy.  
  
"A while ago, I was on the street too, not around here of course, but even at my distance from this place I heard talk of a street kid named Katsuya Jonouchi. The list of deeds impressed me and I even saw some of your fights first hand. You and me are the same. No head for books, but smart with people. I saw potential then and now that I have gained some strength I require a number two. Sure you're young but that just means you'll learn faster. I like you Jonouchi.and soon I think you'll like me too. After all, your position wouldn't be thankless. You could afford a nice place for you and your sister. You could go to college even. Hell you could send her to college too."  
  
Jonouchis' mind started to spin at the possibilities but knew this was not what he wanted from his life right now. He was fine hanging out with his friends thank you very much and he got enough violence at home why seek out that kind of trouble. Sure, in his heart he missed fighting a little. He was good at it and could see the difference he made with each action. When he was with Yugi he felt a little restricted and maybe a little of a hindrance toward his friend. The blond brushed those thoughts away, he was happy though and the world seemed full of possibilities. Sure he was being offered a way of life with the same amount of possibilities but he saw a cloud of pain in that direction.  
  
"Can't you promote one of those guys?" Jonouchi asked waving his hand at the group of men scattered about the room waiting for orders. "I'm a has been, anyway."  
  
"Some of these guys are on loan and the ones who are with me are on a different path. You see, we help our people succeed and then ask for favors later. A full time doctor or lawyer doesn't have time to be a second. Besides, I see potential in you. You disappeared from the scene so your reputation went away.but your ability didn't go anywhere. Am I wrong?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good."  
  
"Listen I am really honored you acknowledge my potential and I admit I find your offer to be slightly tempting but I like how my life is going right now, thank you. I'm not in the mood to make some big commitment. So if you could just drop me off at school, there is test I should be taking right now." He couldn't believe he actually said that but a test would have been bliss instead of this complication.  
  
"You are wrong in thinking you have a choice. We didn't bring you here to proposition you. We brought you here to initiate you."  
  
"What?" Jonouchi growled nervously. He had heard stories about this too. His eyes darted around expectantly.  
  
"Think of it this way.we are saving you from making the wrong choice. Friends, neighbors, everyone gets hurt when the wrong choices are made. Plus this little initiation will start you off on the right kind of living right away." As the blonds eyes continued to dart around, they twitched as Lyric had spoke the thinly veiled threat. Lyric reached next to his and opened an expensive looking briefcase. Inside Jonouchis' eyes flashed upon a deed and stacks of money. "Here is a deed to a really nice apartment and enough money for you to buy food and clothes for you and your sister for several months. I can't give it too you of course. You can't start being paid until you have joined my legitimate business, taxes you know. Here in lies the dilemma. You're school will only allow you to work with special permission right? Such permission takes time and dire circumstances. While you wait for permission, how will you live? (He nudges the briefcase) Conveniently for you, I have thought about this. You're dire circumstances will be what provides you with the means to survive in your new life. "  
  
Jonouchi understood what was going on fairly well. He was about to do something for the yakuza; the result would be him being bonded to them as he could be turned in at any time for what he had done. This thing with the money was a genius twist.whatever it was he was to do would play him right into their service with a better lifestyle while gaining approval from the outside world. What he was to do was still a mystery, though. Then he saw it. At the bottom of the deed in the briefcase, ownership was in the name of Tetsei Jonouchi, Katsuyas' abusive father. 


	2. The catch 22

Lyric smiled when he saw understanding on the boys face. He stood and leaned in close. "Surely this won't be too unpleasant for you." He cooed as his arm traced Jonouchis' broad shoulders. The shoulders tensed but the blond didn't dare make a move to push him away. "He gave you this, didn't he?" Lyrics hand had come across a scar on Jonouchis' back. "I bet that hurt. I bet you knew you knew you could beat him down, no I bet you dreamed it! You wanted to but were too scared. What if you failed? What would happen to your family?" His hand curved around and stroked the boys' cheek. "Your new family is just making it possible to fulfill your dreams."  
  
Jonouchi was rattled. Not just about what was being said, but the sudden realization at how much Lyric knew about him. He had known about his street reputation, his neighborhood, both things he could understand. Now though, he had just demonstrated he knew more. Lyric knew he had a sister, knew he had an abusive father, knew money and food was always a problem, knew the placement of his scars, and apparently knew his greatest kept secret. Jonouchi had a soft spot for men. It never really came up in day-to-day life. He really liked Mai so his bi-sexual nature was naturally hidden. He had never perused those feelings so this stranger shouldn't know. But he did. Jonouchi looked in those gray eyes and saw that knowledge hidden there, daring the blond to acknowledge it aloud. The way Lyric had spoken there was a hidden promise, when he said, "fulfill your dreams".  
  
"I'm not going to kill my father. Even if he is a bastard."  
  
"There you go again, thinking you have a choice to make. Good thing I saw that coming.I'm here to help you make the right choice remember that." He whispered before he snapped twice. A burly man entered dragging the form of Katsuyas' dad behind him. At the same time another door opened and a thin man pushed in a television on the cart. The burly man dropped the body on the floor and left. The thin man also took his leave by way of another door. "I did say I had seen where you lived, right? What do you think I was doing there?" Jonouchi stood up upon seeing his fathers crumpled body and suddenly realized he could easily shot at the reaction, his eyes flew to Lyric who just chuckled.  
  
Lyric pulled a gun from his pocket and popped it open, showing his now attentive pupil, not only how such a thing was done but that it held only one bullet.  
  
"You father went out this morning and pissed the day away getting drunk.on the way home to beat his son; however, he got jumped in an alley and shot. The police keep it quiet so as not to panic the normally peaceful city. The inheritance no one knew existed is transferred to his depressed son. Even with this money, though, the school understands that he has to provide for himself now and gives him special permission to work as an intern under my tutelage. The son feels pain and guilt over his fathers' death but finds to his surprise he actually enjoys his work. He can appreciate a job well done while providing for himself and his sister. He keeps his friends and attends his school as normal. When he graduates he does what he wishes and finds himself in many new and powerful positions, with many loves of his choice. That is the scenario that your life will take if you do as I say."  
  
"I won't kill my dad."  
  
"In scenario number two, you refuse to kill your dad. (He turns on the television, and the screen lights up with an unconscious Serenity in the arms of the thin man from earlier. His right hand poised at her throat with a long knife, and gives a thumbs up sign with his left.)"  
  
"Serenity!!!" Shouts Jonouchi in anguish, seeing his sister manhandled. Lyric ignores his out burst and continues.  
  
"You wake up in jail with the blood of your murdered sister and father on your clothes. The police have your prints on the knife and even a witness that identifies you as her attacker. Your friends turn against you, ashamed for ever being acquainted with you, and you are put to death before leaving your teens alone and broken." Lyric hands Jonouchi the gun.  
  
"Me handing you the gun is the signal. If you don't shoot your father in the next (checks watch) fifteen seconds, you will be without a sister. The same thing goes if you miss or shoot me."  
  
Jonouchis' eyes looked to the screen and sure enough the lips of the man were counting down.ten, nine, eight, seven. He looked at the lackeys. Some seemed poised to pounce on him, others ready to shoot him or his father. Back to the TV. Four, two, One. He skipped three! That son of a bitch skipped three! Panic welled in Jonouchi as he pictured his sisters cut throat, everyone thinking he was to blame. Time had run out! He threw his arm out, tears in his eyes and shot the man he called father.  
  
Bang  
  
The pool of blood was darker than the son would have imagined. He was a bastard but now there would never be a chance to build a relationship that wasn't shit. No apologies would ever be given. No love offered. Ever. It was almost amusing for the blond to realize he had those thoughts. So optimistic. Very foolish. In order to survive, in order for the great good to triumph, painful sacrifices had to be made. He checked the television and saw to his relief the knife on the floor, the tin man looking bored and his sister alive. Somehow he couldn't smile. He seemed to have forgotten how. He wanted to cry, about what he had done, his father, but he seemed to forget how to do that too.  
  
Lyric patted him on the shoulder and it didn't feel unpleasant. It didn't feel like anything, really. The only important thing to him now was that his sister was alive and safe. He took the gun and put it back in the black haired mans hand.  
  
"Anything else?"  
  
"Welcome aboard. If you need any comforting, you'll always find that warm shoulder on me." Jonouchi sneered at the man. "That's your reaction now, but you'll come to me when you realize what good it will do you." The boy "tched" at this and just waited for the next instruction.  
  
"You did very well for your first day. Doesn't it feel good to have made the right choice? You can head to school now. You wouldn't tell anyone about your new business interests now though or try to turn us in.we have some revealing pictures of your sister in lets just say, unflattering positions. You screw with your new family and your old family is made miserable. I know you don't want that. We'll deliver your sister back, untouched to her house. You'll come to this address in one week to start your internship (he hands him a card). I really do like you, Jonouchi, I'll take good care of you from now on."  
  
Jonouchi turned on his heel with a "tch" and headed for the door. Some men followed him to drive him back to school.  
  
Lyric looked at his watch.everything was going to schedule. Now he just had to get ready for that meeting. He chuckled at the fun he had today. Jonouchi was definitely a prize. Sure his heart just closed up a little bit, but it had to be done. It was just an initial reaction.he'd ease into the business smoothly. Maybe into his arms as well. 


	3. Back to school

"Jonouchi!" He turned around to see Yugi and Honda rush over to him. Yugi looked worried. Honda looked pissed.  
  
'Where were you this morning? You were supposed to come by remember? Did something happen?" Yugi asked in a sort of concerned rush. Honda pushed Yugi out of the way.  
  
"What the hell is with that man?! You just bail on a test and not give any warning? We were late to school 'cause Yugi wanted to wait for you!"  
  
A few seats back Seto Kaiba, watched and listened with as much interest. He always had a hard time not paying attention to the Yugi gang of friends. Usually too noisy to be ignored and often important topics would arise leading to trouble. He would have told these fellow classmates to be quiet long ago if he didn't consider it reconnaissance, well that and a little amusing.  
  
Today though, Seto saw how Jonouchi had entered. Something was off. For one thing his expression seemed tight in neither the dopey grin nor pouty face he often got. It was kind of cold. And blank. This was something that dug fear into his heart. The look in Jonouchis' eyes reminded him of himself.at that time.  
  
"Yeah. I know. Sorry. I got held up. " He said it dead-pan. He did manage a smirk at the end though.like he realized he had said something clever. Yugi and Honda took a step back as they suddenly realized the air around their usually goofy pal had changed.  
  
"What happened?" Yugi asked.  
  
"I don't feel like talking about it."  
  
"Why the hell not? We're worried about you?" Honda yelled with a concern more prevalent in his voice.  
  
"Need me to spell it out?! It's not going to happen! Never mind you wouldn't be able to read it anyway." A chill filled the room. Honda cast an eye back to where Seto was sitting. Seto didn't mind because he too would have thought that the tough blond was somehow under his influence. The words had been icy.  
  
"Listen.." Jonouchi sighed looking tired. "I know this is not how I usually am. I am sorry. You guys have been my best friends; even Kaiba being around didn't make my lie suck. Well I'll be starting a new way of life soon, one that will probably keep me this way. If you can't accept this new me, I can't complain. As of this morning I deserve to be your friend anyway. " Everyone stared. Yugi was speechless. Honda leapt forward and grabbed his best friends shirt.  
  
"What the hell happened?!"  
  
"Let go of my shirt."  
  
"What happened? Was it something with your dad? Serenity?"  
  
"Get you hands off me..this is your last warning."  
  
"DAMN IT! Tell me so I, we, can help you!" Honda didn't see the first coming from his right. When it connected the force was enough to send him across the room. The whole class looked at where Hondas body lay and then back at Jonouchi. Some of his classmates didn't know his past. The ones that did stepped further away, this was worse than before. He would never hit a friend, even in those days, and not only had he done it but he hadn't held back in the slightest.  
  
Jonouchi rubbed his hand and straightened his shirt. It was for the greater good. That was the lesion he had learned that morning. If Honda and Yugi and anyone one else found out what was going on, not only would Serenity's life be made miserable but theirs as well. He didn't doubt that he might even be ordered to kill them if they learned the truth. He couldn't do that. No yet, anyway. That thought made him feel sick, that one day he could probably kill anyone without feeling or hesitation. "Better to just let them hate me and watch as they lead happy lives without me." He mused.  
  
Yugi looked at his friend. Tears started to well in his eyes. The puzzle started to rumble.  
  
"I challenge you to a game! If I win you tell me what is wrong and I'll help you!" Jonouchi looked at Yugi. He was obviously in "battle mode" as Jou liked to call it. It had never been directed at him though. He couldn't afford to have anyones' help, especially those he cared about.  
  
"You have nothing to offer me if I won." Yugi realized the truth of that. He was already not going to tell, so his prize would have to be something different. Usually when he did this, whomever he challenged was after something. A lust, a greed, present to exploit. He frowned as nothing came to mind. Just then the teacher arrived.  
  
"What happened?" She shouted upon seeing Honda on the floor and bleeding. Jonouchi scoffed in disgust and in a little relief. A challenge from Yugi could never be taken lightly.  
  
"He grabbed my shirt. I warned him to let go. He didn't. I'll be showing myself to the principals office now." And with that he walked out while the class stared behind him.  
  
"Yugi, Honda, Anzu, Kaiba, please join me in the hall a minute." The teacher helped Honda off the floor and helped him outside. Kaiba wondered absently why he was being called out too. She probably wanted some eyewitness accounts or something.  
  
Outside in the hall, with the door shut behind them, their teacher eyed them all. Anzu began.  
  
"Well, let's see, it all started when."  
  
"No. I don't need an explanation." They all looked at their sensei confused.  
  
"Then why this excursion to the hall?" Seto replied getting the hunch something was really wrong.  
  
"To give you an explanation. (a pause as the group looked at each other) I was late to class because I was meeting with the principal. Turns out the police called and notified him that Jonouchis' father was shot and killed this morning on the way home from a bar. A councilor called us and said they had told Katsuya, and that he might act a little odd. Also, he would be starting a job soon where he might class time to time to take care of expenses. The small group in the hall was silent in shock.  
  
"No wonder he didn't want to talk about it!" Honda cried out suddenly.  
  
'Poor Jonouchi!" Cried Yugi and Anzu at the same time. The three of them ran down the hallway in the direction the blond had gone earlier.  
  
Kaiba looked at the teacher. Something wasn't right.  
  
"Why'd you include me?"  
  
"Because I knew you cared. And that he cares about you too. You think I don't read those essays you turn in?" Obviously Jonouchi had vented his feelings in creative writings as much as Kaiba did. Stupid mutt.  
  
"It is a horrible thing.but.." He turned away and headed back into the classroom. Sure he wanted to follow the tough blond too but he knew that the boy wouldn't talk to any of them, not yet anyway. He couldn't explain where he had been going with his last statement. That it didn't feel right? That if Jonouchis' father just died he wouldn't act like this? Where had this new job come from anyway? He shoved these thoughts aside. Right now there was nothing he could do for the puppy.  
  
Outside the principals' office door, Anzu, Honda, and Yugi eavesdropped as their friend talked.  
  
"Yah yah, fighting is bad, it won't happen again."  
  
"That's not what I was going to say. I was going to say how sorry I am for your loss."  
  
"Not as sorry as I am."  
  
"Of course not. We got the job request form today as well, it looks like a good opportunity for you. I suggest you follow it. I know when I am in pain I throw myself into my work and I feel better. The knowing of a job well done always lifts the darkest spirits." Jonouchi smirked to himself, Lyric was certainly smart. The principal wanted him to run into the arms of the yakuza and not look back. Throw himself into work huh? It didn't seem like such a bad idea. He wondered if that is what Seto Kaiba always did. At that thought he became suddenly curious, about what pain Seto had to run from. 


	4. The Dispelling of Hateful clothes

One week later and Jonouchi had to admit it was easier that his friends thought his change in mood was due to the shock of his father dying. "Let them feel better, thinking this is only temporary. Plus it makes it easier to push them away and to hint for time alone." He thought as he tossed his last shirt in the dumpster behind his old apartment. He really had liked some of those clothes and the life they had belonged to. But it, like his beat up shirts and jeans, no longer fit him now.  
  
He considered tossing a match in the dumpster and watching the past burn away. It had been done before, he decided, and his energy was needed elsewhere. Serenity was no doubt waiting for him to get back to their new place. She loved it there, he could tell. Her eyes sparkled when she saw how big it was, how the view was spectacular at night. She didn't know about her father or what the apartment had really cost. She didn't remember being abducted, just sleeping for longer than normal that day, causing her to miss school.  
  
Jonouchi had told her that the apartment came with the new job he was starting. She had noticed immediately how different her brother was but he brushed it off as just a phase. When he saw Serenity smile, everything seemed almost worth it. He smiled too. For the first time since this thing had started, he smiled. It was weak and small but he supposed it was a start. He told his sister he had to go clean out his old place and then head to his first day at work, the card Lyric had given him in his pocket.  
  
When he came to move what few possessions he had out of the apartment he and his father had shared, he had found a typed note with no signature sitting on his dresser.  
  
"Don't bother taking any clothes. Get rid of them with the rest of the trash. We'll go shopping when you arrive. Don't be late."  
  
He didn't pause a second to wonder who had sent it. When he got rid of his clothes it was amazing how little he actually had. An old teddy bear, a box of small mementos, a few comics, a model kit, a photo album, his dueling cards, a few framed photos and that was it. He had been temped to toss those things too. Just touching them gave him a strong jabbing pain that he didn't wish to think about. Still his sister would expect him to bring something home and he'd hate to have to explain if he came back empty handed.  
  
He tossed his stuff in his bag and walked toward the address on the card. He wouldn't be late.  
  
The building wasn't what he had expected. He wasn't dumb enough to think it would have a big sign in the lobby stating "Yakuza 28th floor" but it looked so innocent. He never would have guessed. How many companies had a legitimate surface made to hide a seedier business? Jonouchi found himself not wanting to know the answer. The companys' name was Domino Spirit Publishing and the hallways hung largely framed first edition first issues of a variety of magazines, papers, and books. Even Jonouchi had read some of the works and would have found it interesting to peruse the hallways and see what else this company had produced if the buzzer at the reception desk hadn't gone off and he was showed in.  
  
Lyric leaned causally against the large desk at his back and smiled warmly as Jonouchi made his way in. He looked good. Oh, how the blond hated to admit that. The black hair, they way he leaned, and the suit that fit him so perfectly. His eyes hid no malice either. It all confused the boy.  
  
"I take it you are settled in properly?" Jonouchi smiled coldly as he presented the typed note found on his dresser and pointedly crumpled it up, throwing it across to waste basket against the wall.  
  
"Yes. Everything is taken care of."  
  
"Yes? Good. And does your sister enjoy her new surroundings?" Lyric noticed the boys eye twitch at the mention of the girls name. He mused to himself how easy Jonouchi was to read.  
  
"She loves it." He replied as icy as he could muster.  
  
"I have a lot to teach you today but I just want to say I know you are still a good guy, I still like you."  
  
"I'm anxious to learn." Jonouchi replied ignoring the rest of the previous comment.  
  
"Not yet you aren't. " Lyric walks over and locks the office door, as Jonouchi looks on unconcerned. Like he was any more trapped with the door locked, he mused. "Today your education really starts. I'm going to take you shopping, but before than we need to work on your attitude. "  
  
"What would you like me to correct?"  
  
"Exactly what you are doing right now. Get over yourself. Your life has changed. It doesn't have to be this horrible thing. You have made yourself into a tool to be used. That is of course your first reaction, you don't want to upset me or I'll do something to your loved ones. You are scared at what you have done and what you're going to do. You feel hopeless at your situation. In response you shut yourself down. You need to harden yourself a bit of course, but.." He walked over to Jonouchi and ran a hand along the boys still shoulder. "You went overboard, you took away my creative general, my spunky number two. I knew you would of course, so I know how to get him back." Lyrics hand slipped under Jonouchis shirt and caressed his bare skin.  
  
"You know, some feminists believe that the mere act of sex with a man takes away their power. Do you know why? It is because it is reminiscent of being stabbed. A violent action. Being impaled forces the minds eye of both parties to see the one stabbing as the one with the power, the other the victim." Jonouchi remained silent as he spoke.  
  
"You feel powerless against me and against the world. I need a strong leader." Lyric loosened his tie. Jonouchis' eyes went wide as he began to piece together the relevance of the story.  
  
"You can be as rough as you like. I can handle it. But it can only be sex. No repercussions will fall to you or your family. No one will know. This will be just you punishing me for what I did. What I forced you to do." He noticed Jonouchis expression as he took of his belt and threw it aside (because some pain was too much). He had to step it up a bit he noticed. "I bet you enjoyed it, though."  
  
Jonouchi looked up, anger beginning to show on the surface.  
  
"Did I do something wrong, Katsuya? Was that wrong of me to make you do those things? You should see the pictures we got of your sister.there are a few here that were quite laborious to get her into position.her legs just wouldn't stay open.."  
  
Katsuya had never been so angry in his life. It was beyond anger really, more a pure form of rage. He couldn't help jumping on the man and as his fist raised to beat this asshole till he was dead; then he remembered, beating would equal death for him and probably his sister.. FINE! He hadn't wanted his first time being with a man to be like this but the emotion running through his veins was too much. This man deserved pain, no matter the how.  
  
He grabbed the man and ripped the suit as he man handled him to the desk, shoving him over, not caring about the bruises that was sure to appear on the dark haired man. All his hatred and anger, his rage, all directed in the one way he was allowed.  
  
When it it over, tears welled up in Jonouchis eyes. The man looking in the closet was bloody and looked badly beaten. He couldn't believe he had done that, he felt so dirty. The man didn't really deserve that much abuse did he? Lyric was probably just following orders to get a second. The fact that he was chosen was unfortunate. Why had Lyric allowed him to abuse him so? It must have been his way to acknowledge that he was the cause of Jonouchis misery. To somehow share a little of the pain. He sobbed. Lyric had been unarmed when he was being ravished. There had to have been some trust there. Lyric had acknowledged he believed in him, and knew he was still a good guy even after what he did.  
  
The battered man made his way over and after wiping his face off a bit with a towel he smiled sadly and put a hand on Jonouchis shoulder.  
  
"I'm sorry." Jonouchi nodded at this.  
  
"Me too."  
  
"That is ridiculus! I asked you to do it. I practically demanded it of you. This is actually your first lesson. I will as you to do things you may or may not enjoy. You can do them any way you like in your style, but the guilt shouldn't fall on you. Just know what ever I order I take the guilt upon myself. Your soul is still innocent, and always will be as long as you're by my side. "  
  
Jonouchi couldn't explain it but he felt better. He nodded at the man as he watched him clean himself up and change into a spare suit.  
  
"Let's go shopping." He smiled when Jonouchi smiled and nodded.  
  
"You better be prepared, I'm going to choose something outrageous and expensive."  
  
"I wouldn't have it any other way!" Lyric laughed. Jonouchi had gained a little of himself back, and whether the teen knew enough to acknowledge it of not, he'd rely on him a little more now, both out of thanks and to find the rest of himself that he had lost. Lyric was happy to provide.  
  
End chapter 4  
  
Okay, some notes here. It seems perfectly reasonable that Lyric would pull something like this to make Jonouchi open up and feel safer with him. Do any of you agree? I am a little worried I wrote the build up to that too fast. I tend not to enjoy paragraphs after paragraphs about inner mental turmoil and emotion so I hope I didn't gyp them by cutting the actions off at their common denominator. Does that make sense?  
  
Thanks for the comments so far. I love comments! (Especially good ones)  
  
The feminist thing is true! I learned it in college in my Intro to Feminist Thought class. Scary isn't it? That is why some feminists in the seventies proclaimed that lesbians were the only free women on the planet. That sadly caused a lot of those sterotypes that hard core feminists were gay. It was very interesting class reading all the theorys but I get depressed seeing all that sadness and understanding.good thing I have anime and fan fiction.  
  
Sorry for only having Jonouchi and Lyric in this chapter, Seto will be here in two chapters, I promise! 


	5. Shopping for power

The sun didn't seem as blinding to Jonouchi as it had over the last week. That was the only thing he really noticed on the drive to an upscale clothing boutique into the part of town Jonouchi hadn't even heard of.  
  
"I've never been to this part of town."  
  
"It's not worthy of your attention anyway. Mostly for women who feel the need to be trendy when meeting with the other politicians wives. There is one store you can remember, Roseninnis. It has every suit design and color imaginable."  
  
"Is a suit really necessary?" He asked as he looked disinterestedly at the roof of the cars interior.  
  
"I suppose you could meet our clients naked. That would certainly impress them into doing business with our company." Jonouchi blushed at the comment but didn't give any response. Still feeling a little guilty anyway, supposed Lyric.  
  
"You mean I'll actually be working for the publishing company?"  
  
"Of course. I was serious when I said we wanted you to succeed. But don't get me wrong; there will be other business too. Nothing to stressful though. I promise. That is your second lesson, a perfect intimidation or bluff will take the place of hours of work and stressful mental anguish."  
  
"Did you bluff with me? What was a trick?"  
  
"Lesson three, NEVER give away your true methods after the fact. That is how people learn your style and ultimately your weakness." Jonouchi nodded. He had often blabbed about how he had come up with a certain strategy in Duel Monsters only to find it useless the next time. He mentally jotted down the lessons as they were given. They seemed useful in general. He hadn't really wanted to know anyway, if he was here because of some kind of trick.  
  
The two left the car behind them as they walked into the store. There were suits, coats, shoes, hats, glasses, strappy things (apparently a fashionable item in Domino), and assorted jewelry and watches all in ever conceivable style and some beyond conceivable. Jonouchi didn't have to look around to know that this is where Pegasus got his suits, or the coats Seto wore when he was on his own power trip. He touched the fabric of the doppelganger coat of Kaibas. He had always wanted to do that. Seto always seemed so untouchable. The outside texture of the coat was very stiff and rough, but the inside soft and soothing.  
  
"Lesson four, people aren't what they eat, they are what they wear. Before your clothes said "I am a average and casual guy." You now need to say something else with your clothes.tell me what it is."  
  
Jonouchi looked at Setos coat. Seto soft on the inside? He pushed the thought out of his head. First he thought about Setos pain and now about his clothes? What was wrong with him? What sparked this curiosity with Seto suddenly? Sure he had noticed the boy was good looking, but he always gave an icy presence and looked untouchable. It had scared Jonouchi a bit. Absently as he strolled through the clothes, he wondered why he wasn't scared of the blue-eyed boy now.  
  
"I want to say, "I work for a power person. A powerful company. But don't you dare think that is all I am. I am mysterious and attractive and when this suit is on I am confident to get what I want as I please."  
  
Jonouchi wasn't really sure where the words had come from. He was imagining one of his favorite comic-book anti-heroes. "Maybe I can be like him. He eventually makes amends for his past and fights on the side of good again." He almost snorted. His favorite part of that comic was when he wasn't good. He just seemed to be more interesting. "Well at least I'm interesting." He told himself with a smirk.  
  
Lyric told the woman at the counter something and he ran off. He pulled Jonouchi to a dressing room.  
  
"I think that message would be perfect for you. I had her go fetch up a line of clothes that might match that."  
  
He turned around to face his boss.  
  
"I thought you said I could do things my way?"  
  
"You can. These are just suggestions, choose what you like."  
  
It took several hours but at the end of it all it was exactly what he was going for. A suit, blacker than one could image made his fair skin stand out in mystery and power. The cut was perfect. Under it he choose a variety of shirts with large lapels, white, navy, and the entire gambit of red. His favorite was a silk wine shirt. Slightly unbuttoned like he didn't care. A pair of orange tinted shades in his pocket. A few strands of dark beads around his neck. A new watch. A silver band on his upper left ear. He looked good. Dark, Sexy, and even a little dangerous. He smiled. Lyric nodded in approval.  
  
They had dinner at an Indian café while Lyric talked about how people with power and money eat. How a lot of power is just given willingly to whomever pretends they had it first. Jonouchi listened while he tried to eat in his new clothes. It definitely had an affect. Not only wanting to look cool in his clothes, not to spill anything, and with the knowledge that food would be available later if he chose, let the boy eat more slowly and refined than some who knew him would have imagined possible.  
  
"You will be responsible to go and visit prospective writers and get them to sign with us. Not aggressively of course.just with your natural charm. Then follow up with them, making sure they stay on scheduled or have any regrets, ect."  
  
"Sounds easy enough." Lyric nodded as he sipped a cup of tea.  
  
"From now on you are my number two. Your personal life is your own. I will never threaten you or your family again. You will be fine as long as you don't betray us. I think it is a life you'll come to enjoy." Jonouchi nodded coolly feeling confident in his new threads.  
  
"That reminds me." He dug in his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to Jonouchi. A familiar address looked up at him. You have a meeting tomorrow at one O' clock with the CEO. He is thinking of publishing a line of strategy guides for a variety of different games. He is quite good. You just go meet him and be your new confident self. Make him realize we won't take no for an answer. That we are the best to handle the publishing."  
  
Jonouchi looked at the address. Too familiar to be anything else. Still he had to confirm it.  
  
"What is the name of the company?"  
  
"Kaiba corp., Seto Kaiba will be the one meeting you. Don't forget to wear that suit." 


	6. A New kinda game

Seto Kaiba was sitting in his office trying to concentrate on the budget request form in his hand. "Trying" being the operative word. The last week had been so quiet at school, with the resident loud mouth absent and said loud mouths friends silent with worry. The tense atmosphere made concentration hard if not impossible. Was it really easier to concentrate with the mutt around? Not likely.  
  
From snippets of conversation, Seto could tell Yugi and Honda were particularly worried over the fact Jonouchis' phone had been disconnected. The sulking had become too much and Seto made a few calls and found the mutt had moved into a nicer place downtown with his sister. He had thought he had done Yugi a favor but instead Yugi and company suddenly attacked him, wanting to use every resource he had available to track Jonouchi down and fix what was wrong with him.  
  
He of course had said no. His father was dead. That changes people, Seto knew from experience. He had looked at Yugi and his friends with almost a sad expression, not that they could tell.  
  
"You might have to accept this is who he is now." And had walked away. He hated to admit it but he missed the old mutt too. Maybe there was something he could do? What about that hunch something else was wrong? Maybe he could look and see if he was totally off base. Pft. Stupid dog! Making him worry, messing his concentration, the gall. When Setos' father died, he didn't miss school, even though he had become CEO.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the same form was in his hand and the same thoughts whizzed about in his head in slightly different patterns when the buzzer on his desk interrupted him.  
  
"Katsuya Jonouchi is here to see you, sir." His secretary politely informed him. Seto looked at the black box. Did he hear right? What possible reason could he be here? A good time to search for some answers though, and maybe shake the dog back to normal. He looked at his watch. A meeting in three minutes, damn, the worst timing. Barely enough time to exchange a few insults. Oh well, three minutes was three minutes.  
  
"Send him in." Kaiba immediately went to work busying himself at his desk. The sound of the door opening and steps in signaled the beginning of the game. A game Kaiba always won. Then again, he suspected Jonouchi never really knew they were playing or even what the rules were.  
  
"I hope you don't expect me to tutor you in all the homework you were stupid enough to miss this week, mutt, I am very busy. In fact, I have a meeting in two minutes, the clock is ticking." Kaiba started without looking up. Looking back on this later, he knew something was already wrong. He sensed it in the air. When Katsuya entered a room it was with noise and a fiery spirit that clearly displayed every emotion. This time was different.  
  
A laugh echoed the room. One that Kaiba had not thought possible from Jonouchi. Clear but with a dark edge, as if mocking Kaibas' very existence, let alone his words. The CEOs eyes rose from his supposed work ready with a glare to hide his surprise at the reaction. What he saw prompted his draw to drop and him to stand so quick he almost became dizzy.  
  
"Classic Seto Kaiba!" the blond chuckled, "This will be a lot of fun. I should have known you wouldn't let me down." Jonouchi smiled as Kaibas' eyes roamed his body. The black suit, the crimson silk shirt, the accessories, Kaiba took it all in with a moment of confused shock. Seto realized he was standing and knew he had given himself away. When he first glimpsed this man, he forgot it was the mutt and suddenly felt a tad vulnerable seated. Somewhere in his subconscious he had viewed his blond classmate as a threat or some kind of rival.  
  
"New clothes? Well it is good you learned to cover your stench somehow." Kaiba growled getting back into control as he offered Jonouchi a seat before taking his.  
  
Jonouchi smirked at the reaction and took the offered seat, causally leaning back once seated, and waited till Kaiba made his way back down into his chair.  
  
"I figured a new set of threads was necessary to play with you big dogs. Wait, you've called me a dog for years. Obviously you were just trying to hint at my potential." The blond suddenly looked more serious and leaned forward over the desk. "I've noticed you've got potential too, although, I wish I could have had the nerve to talk about that under different circumstances." Kaiba felt a little pale under the intense gaze. He was loosing his cool, he realized, too many unexpected elements. Jonouchis' sudden arrival, his clothes, the way he carries himself, his attitude, and this new vague statement. Kaiba was loosing his cool. For the first time since Seto had meet him, Katsuya was actually winning Kaibas unspoken game. He was winning and Seto didn't like it.  
  
The CEO pushed the button on the black box on his desk.  
  
"Is the representative from the publishing company here yet? I don't want him to be kept waiting."  
  
"But, sir, I just sent him in a few minutes ago." Setos' eyes flashed to the sharply dressed young man across from him.  
  
"Surprise! Sadly, this isn't just a social call. I was just about to get to that."  
  
"Ah.thank you, Marie. " The brunette lifted his finger from the button in thought. "This is your new job, then?"  
  
"Yup. I've been busy learning the trade, moving, and getting some class this last week. I'll be in class again on Monday, in case you were worried."  
  
"I most certainly wasn't."  
  
"I'd expect nothing less."  
  
"Whatever. I wont go easy on you just because I know you. I have lots of other prospective publishers as well."  
  
"I came in expecting that you would make it harder for me actually, since you know me. I'm honored at your trust." Kaiba growled at the acknowledgement of an unintended compliment. Whatever had changed in Jonouchi made him a little sharper and harder to deal with. A challenge. Seto wasn't sure if he liked this new development or not.  
  
"Give me your pitch."  
  
"Simple, you don't have a choice."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"You need a publisher. We are the best. Your own research probably told you that much. You were really just kicking around the idea if you wanted to publish it yourself or get a lower bid from a capable but smaller company. This however is a mistake. Not only is our company more experienced but also eventually after you publish, you'll need a distributor. There is only one in town, owned by us, out of coincidence. You can certainly publish wherever you like but the distribution truly makes or breaks a book. A botched job gives no second chances."  
  
"Are you really blackmailing me?"  
  
"Just relating the sad truth that our distribution branch tends to do a better job with its "in house" clients. If you want a good job done, which a perfectionist such as yourself, surely does; then, there is no choice. You must sign with us."  
  
"I don't take well to bullying."  
  
"Think of it as more as enticement. You get the best job done and with hands on attention by yours truly, someone you already admitted a small degree of trust for."  
  
Seto turned around away from the desk and looked out the window for a few moments.  
  
"Alright." He said to the window.  
  
"No need to get upset. Come on, I'll stop by tomorrow to sign the paperwork, no, let's do lunch and sign the papers there. It's a great Indian place not too far from here."  
  
"Sure. It will have to be after two though." He replied turning around to face his future business partner. It was only moments later that the two shook hands and Jonouchi exited into the bright afternoon air donning his new shades.  
  
After a few moments after the others departure, Seto pushed the button on the box again.  
  
"Marie, please put me through to a reliable and discreet detective service, when you have them on the line buzz me again."  
  
"Yes, Mr. Kaiba."  
  
At least he thought of food. That seemed close to the more familiar vision he had of Jonouchi. Something was definitely wrong though. No doubt about it. He had intended to stay out of it. Let the dog make his own bed to lie in. However, the events of this meeting made several things clear to Seto Kaiba after some thought, the most obvious being that he really did care about Jonouchi and maybe the potential the blond was speaking of indicated he felt the same.  
  
He knew then that he couldn't fully concentrate or be relaxed not knowing what was happening with Jonouchi. Somehow he ended up doing exactly what he told Yugi he wouldn't. As the box buzzed and Seto picked up the phone, he couldn't help but wonder at the answer the detectives would eventually find. 


	7. Findings part one

An Offer he Can't Refuse- Chp 7  
  
Notes: I apologize for the tardiness in my updating this fic! Especially to those Yugioh fans who must have been tortured to see me update all kinds of One Piece stories in the meantime. Thanks for all the support on this story and the great feedback! I shall be going back and updating the previous chapters (fixing some spelling errors and the fact I call Jonouchis sister Serenity instead of her Japanese name..doh!) just so you know. I will try to write the next chapter really soon (lots of good comments would help) but some of my other stories will get updates in the meantime. Thanks again!  
  
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"Sorry to disturb you, Mr. Kaiba but I have some of the information you asked for." The masculine voice echoed through Setos room as the owner of said room stared pensively into his closet. Apparently lunch was a fashion dilemma. He debated internally over what kind of impression he wanted to give the mutt as he called out over his shoulder to the speaker phone.  
  
"I'm surprised you got back to me so quickly, your reputation is well earned. Just tell me what you have found out."  
  
"Well Katsuya Jonouchi grew up with his father in a shabby apartment in bad side of town since he was quite young and his mother left taking his sister with her. His father, the neighbors say, was pretty much a do nothing drunk that hurt his son on a regular basis."  
  
Seto let this sink in for a moment.  
  
"What do you mean, hurt?"  
  
"His neighbors were quite vague. Apparently they heard shouting and things being tossed around. A few say they saw Katsuya leave the apartment looking bloody."  
  
"The neighbors never called the police?"  
  
"The police don't go to that part of town. Plus the whole area has a sort of 'I'll stay out of your business if you stay out of mine' feel to it."  
  
Seto grunted and sat down in his chair. Choosing clothes would have to wait. It was a lot to take in. He wondered how the mutt managed to not loose himself.  
  
"When he was in middle school, Katsuya made quite a name for himself in the local gangs. He became a leader of one in record time, his fighting ability was second to none and had the most group loyalty of his followers than any of the others. The gang thrived and his name was near legendary."  
  
"Really?" Kaiba shook his head almost unable to believe what he was hearing. "What happened? If it was so successful why isn't he in it now?"  
  
"He met a boy named (the sound of noted flipping could be heard) Hiroto Honda. Apparently this boy was out making trouble in an attempt to be included in Jonouchis gang, but Katsuya refused him saying that Honda had a good family and didn't need an influence like him, but after keeping tabs on him Katsuya saw how lonely he was and gradually extracted himself from the gang so Honda wouldn't have to join to be friends. The two would still get into fights a lot but have calmed down a lot since entering high school, taking up with new friends and competing in a card game called Duel Monsters."  
  
"Yugis influence no doubt. So that takes us almost current..." Kaiba hurried. Anxiously awaiting this new information. "What about recently? The last two weeks?"  
  
"On the surface it appears his father was jumped on the way back from the bar and died leaving Katsuya a decent inheritance and a councilor who found the boy work at the towns most renowned publishing companies."  
  
"On the surface?" Kaiba urged.  
  
"Well yes. By all accounts this inheritance shouldn't exist, where did this money and apartment come from? Then if it did exist, why was Katsuya and his sister( neither of which had an alibi by the way ) never questioned about it? Not even suspected for a second? Katsuya in particular would have had motive. They didn't question it because there were witnesses and a cop that happened on the scene. Cops don't go into that area, remember? I tried to find out why the police were so uninterested in delving further into this case but got a lot of dangerous glances. Whatever it is, they are not touching this case again with a ten foot pole and all but all out told me it would be better for my health if I did the same."  
  
"What!? So why are you telling me this? Go solve this mystery, thats your job after all."  
  
"No, Mr. Kaiba, my job was to find out all I could. If you want me to find out more, I certainly could but that would be considerably more expensive and potential risky for us both."  
  
"I see." Kaiba leaned back in his chair considering. "I will have to think about it. Jonouchi and I shall be meeting at the Golden Dragon around one this afternoon. Be there. After he leaves I'll call you and either thank you for you services or tell you to follow him." No need to pay for information be might be able to weasel out of the mutt anyway, he figured. Worth a shot at the very least.  
  
"Alright. I'm emailing you a copy of an encryption, make a password and I'll email you what I get."  
  
"Alright." That settled Seto looked back to his closet before pulling out a dark turtleneck and sweater and his trademark jacket. He smiled down to himself. Jonouchi certainly went through a tough time in his younger years, so how had he retained that dumb innocence. That cheerfulness. Light. Conversely, how did that light dim recently? These questions had to be answered before Seto could sleep well again.  
  
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commercial break  
  
Sorry people I'll have another chapter up tomorrow! My network card is acting up and making getting to my files a major pain. But on the upside, you don't have to wait weeks for more! 


	8. A heart needing to be chased

The Indian Cafe seemed a little crowded for Jonouchis taste but that didn't stop him from spotting Kaiba as soon as he entered the cafe. He was dressed down a bit more than the last time they spoke. If he wasn't wearing his trademark white jacket of doom he would look like a slightly vulnerable co-ed. If. The jacket seemed to be like his armor giving an 'untouchable' vibe.  
  
Jonouchi snickered to himself, rules were made to be broken. It did make Jonouchi want to lower his guard a bit too since he couldn't really dress down. He was wearing another variation of his new suit oriented wardrobe. Choosing his outfit had been easy but bittersweet, he looked good but he had nothing in his closet to chose from anyway.  
  
Again he marveled at how bold he was being, sure he had always wanted to do this, but it had never crossed his mind to try it. Rejection didn't scare him in the least now, not with so little to lose. If anything he thought he could relate to Kaiba a bit more now. Protecting his sister, his new stressful jobs, school, didn't leave him much inspiration to be very social overall with people who didn't understand. Wait. Did that mean he thought Kaiba understood? He shook the thought away as Kaiba approached him after being pointed out by a waiter. He had killed his father, no one could understand that. It was unforgivable. Best to live this new life of darkness with no regrets.  
  
"Great, you made it!" Jonouchi smiled, while he stood and offered Seto a seat.  
  
"I never miss a meeting." Kaiba started a little coldly. "Especially this one." he added after a moment, taking the offered seat.  
  
"Of course. Well, you know the saying, business before pleasure." Jonouchi stated as he pulled a small file from his new dark satchel before placing the stack in front of the CEO. This had to be gotten out of the way or everything would be tainted by it. By what it represented.  
  
Seto looked at the documents over carefully before signing them with a sigh and handing them back.  
  
"So now that is out of the way, how have you been?" he asked the CEO as he tucked the documents safely away.  
  
"As well as can be expected. I should be asking you that question. Sorry about your father."  
  
"Yes, well. Me too." Jonouchi mumbled as he looked down, not really sure how to answer, before steeling his gaze as he had been practicing.  
  
"My father died too. Actually both of them. My real one in a car accident when Mokuba and I were quite small and my step father a few years ago."  
  
Seto was sharing with him? Well that is what he wanted, but he didn't think it would actually happen. He had two fathers?  
  
"Oh. Sorry." Seto waved Jonouchis sympathy away.  
"I hated my step-dad. Didn't deserve the name father really. A bastard who hurt both myself and Mokuba. When he died, several people thought I did it."  
  
'What?!" Jonouchi cried but before he could continue a waiter appeared and ran off with their drink orders.  
  
"Surprised? I just wanted you to know its okay to be alright when a bastard who made your life miserable dies." Alarm bells went off in Jonouchis head. He knows about my past, not all of it but enough. Since when did Kaiba volunteer personal information? Never, thats when. Is he trying to get me to open up?  
  
"What makes you think I had problems with my dad?"  
  
"You've been acting differently and if I had to guess, I would say it was some kind of guilt."  
  
"Do you really consider yourself that sensitive? (He thinks for a moment) Emotionally astute?" He chuckled.  
  
"Well no but I'm trying to be as far as you're concerned."  
  
Jonouchi leaned forward in surprise.  
  
"As far as I'm concerned?"  
  
Seto smirked in response.  
  
"What? Is it that surprising that I see potential in you as well?"  
  
"A little."  
  
"I'm all or nothing so I like to think about the situation before I commit myself, whether it's financially, emotionally, or physically." He looked into Jonouchis eyes with meaning.  
  
The blond felt kind of dazed. Sure he had wanted a relationship with Kaiba but he thought he would have to act cold and intimidating to get one and it would've been only physical probably. Here was Kaiba offering more and that sort of scared him.  
  
"Of course, " the CEO continued, "I expect the same from whoever I'm with. Can you do that?" He leaned forward inches from the boys lips, a kiss the unspoken reward depending on the blonds answer.  
  
The breath of Seto Kaiba so close made the well outfitted young man before him want to agree to anything. Somewhere in the back of his head there was a voice not caught up in the moment yelling warnings. Reminding Jonouchi that trusting the CEO with everything was a foolish idea. Trying to stir up the feeling it would be a mistake to let Kaiba get too close. However his lips looked so soft and inviting.  
"I'd love that." He replied in a whisper. Seto smile and leaned forward to connect the kiss. Closer. Closer.  
  
Beep! Beep! Beep!  
  
Jonouchis' new cell phone alerted him to a call. A call by the only person who had this number. What would Lyric do if Kaiba became a part of Jonouchis life? He would at the very least have someone elses life to play with if he didn't do the tasks he was assigned. At the worst Seto could stumble across what Jonouchis true job was and he'd be ordered to silence the CEO. He pictured for a moment that day, where in his mind he and Seto were friends and lovers spending the day with each other and getting a call. Having to look his love in the eyes as he shot him. He couldn't do that to Kaiba. Or himself.  
  
Jonouchi looked up from his thoughts. The CEOs lips were brushing his, the cell phone still beeped urgently, and in that moment he made a decision. With all his might he shoved the CEO back away from him and into his chair. The look of hurt surprise etched on his face didn't suit Kaiba at all and made Jonouchi feel like crying. To remedy the situation he backhanded him hard across the face.  
  
"I'd love to but I can't. I won't. " He explained coldly without apology to the boy whose face was growing a red hue still in a bit of shock. He pulled out his cell and answered it.  
  
"Yes? Nothing to worry over. Right now? But what about...oh okay. No I don't need one for that. Yes, I'm sure. Okay if you think so, I'll pick it up. Now. Where are you? Okay."  
  
He sighed as he hung up, it was the kind of call he had been dreading, and looked to his date. Setos eyes were filled with an emotion he couldn't read but his lips looked cold and angry. He felt a wave of sadness. Being with Seto had made him forget for a few precious moments. Made him see what would have been possible if he had been a little braver weeks ago. Then again, if he and Seto were together then Seto could have been the one he was forced to...no he couldn't think like that. Not now. His eyes were open. No more fantasy. If he gave in and did "whatever he wanted" in his new life he would just be dragging people into his hell. Enough.  
  
Jonouchi opened his wallet and threw down a few bills.  
  
"Listen thanks for today. It's probably for the best if you go back to hating me and calling me names. Sorry about your face, got carried away there. Anyway, work calls so I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow." He didn't wait for a reply just turned on his heal and exited in one swift motion, donning his glasses as he went.  
  
Seto noticed how tight the blonds features had become as he left, thinking Seto wasn't looking. He raised his hand to his burning cheek. The bastard had slapped him, had shoved him away. Who did Jonouchi think he was fooling? He wanted that kiss as plan as day. Thinking about who was on the phone had made him change his mind. Well Seto Kaiba didn't give up that easily. Seto Kaiba didn't back down when there was something he wanted.  
  
The CEO picked up his cell and after a few pushed buttons got connected to the detective.  
  
"Follow him." Seto flipped the phone closed and picked up the menu. Tomorrow he would know what was so urgent, what scared Jonouchi away from his kiss. Oh yes, the game was on. 


	9. The return of an old friend?

Offer he can't refuse part 9  
  
"Please Yugi! Honda! Anzu! Mr. Kaiba!" Shizuka weeped pleadingly. Seto looked up from his seat amused slightly she had included him. "He doesn't talk to me anymore! He came home really early this morning and I think he was bleeding! He won't tell me what's going on!"  
  
Honda put a comforting arm around her.  
  
"He hasn't talked to us much either. The last time I saw him he decked me!" Anzu smacked Honda upside the head.  
  
"Doofus that won't make her feel any better!"  
  
"But it's the truth. Don't worry, Shizuka, we'll think of something."  
  
Seto let the choice opportunity for an insult pass, a free gift to Honda for his part in getting Jonouchi out of that gang years ago, and looked at the clock. Five minutes till class, almost everyone was already here. Only Jonouchi and a few others hadn't shown up yet. He still hadn't heard from the detective and Shizukas' words worried him. Blood? What had he been doing?  
  
"Shouldn't you be in your class?" Seto asked the girl. Honda and Anzu looked at Kaiba like he just said he was going to eat puppies.  
  
"God! Are you heartless?" Anzu sneered.  
  
"Yeah, can't you see how worried she is?" Honda growled.  
  
"No, I think I see what he's saying." Everyone turned to Yugi looking a little shocked, although Kaiba looked more interested. "Jonouchi will be here any minute and if he sees his sister here he's going to be upset that she's missing class, let alone defensive about what she was talking to us about."  
  
"Well at least one of you has a brain." Kaiba nodded. The rest be grudgingly nodded.  
  
"But give us your number and address and we'll tell you what we find out later. Don't worry. Jonouchi is just mourning after his dad died...I have faith he'll come around."  
  
Shizuka sniffed but nodded as she jotted the information down and handed it out to Yugi.  
  
"Thanks for helping everyone." She put on a brave face and left.  
  
"Okay, what should we do?" Anzu asked looking to Yugi after the girl left.  
  
"Well try to get info out of him and then follow him to this job of his after school. I think that's the best way to see if he really is okay." The others nodded (except Kaiba who was looking toward the door that just opened).  
  
Jonouchi stood there in the school uniform looking somber and a little tired, a cuff earing still on his ear was the only thing that was physically different from Jonouchi on any other day. Well no that wasn't true because there was also a large bandage on his left cheek and another one poking out under his collar on the left side. Upon spotting Yugi and his friends Seto noticed the boy take a deep breath and put on a goofy smile.  
  
"So you guys miss me?" Yugi, Honda, and Anzu turned as one to Jonouchi. Yugi took one look at the smiling face and ran toward the blond, hugging him tightly.  
  
"I sure did! We all did! Didn't we?" the group smiled and nodded. Kaiba grunted from his chair in the back, he couldn't believe how easily Yugi and his friends were being duped by Jonouchis "I'm all better now act."  
  
"Don't think I've forgiven you for slugging me though!"  
  
"Heh, Sorry about that Honda! I'll make it up to you one day."  
  
"Just put in a good word for me with your sister..and we'll call it even."  
  
"Sure, I'll..WHAT?!" The whole room chuckled at that one and the atmosphere returned to normal with the chuckles. Who knew the mutts smiling goofy presence made such a difference. Obviously everyone did miss him.  
  
"Ah! Jonouchi! What happened?!" Anzu cried pointing to the bandages on the blonds left side. Honda and Yugi took notice of this too and waited for the answer. Kaiba wanted to smack them for waiting for so long, his sister had said he came home late and bleeding after all.  
  
He put his hand behind his head and laughed as if he were slightly embarrassed. I've been working a lot of late hours lately at the new job and on the way home last night I got jumped."  
  
"Oh my god, Jonouchi! Are you okay?" Yugi asked hurriedly  
  
"Yeah, you should see what the other guy looks like!" Honda held his hand up for a high-five and Jonouchi Obliged him.  
  
"Alright man! You still got it!" Honda elbowed his friend playful and he playfully pushed back, but not before Seto Kaiba noticed a wince.  
  
Kaiba never wished he was on casual speaking terms with this group more. Hello? Morons! He just winced in pain! You all know he lives downtown now...the ritzy area. No one gets "jumped" on that side of town. He doesn't know you know he lives someplace different!" Instead he stared intently at his cell phone waiting for it to ring.  
  
The teacher entered as the bell rang. To the world it seemed like Jonouchi was back to his old self. Seto Kaiba glared at his phone as he put it away. The answers were so close. 


	10. An encryption, an outburst , which myste...

Offer He can't refuse #10--  
  
Author notes: Aha! I update! Thanks for all the support and reviews! (Hugs all around!) The story is going quite well now, I know exactally whats gonna happen in the next three or chapters so updates should come pretty quick. Sorry I didn't go straight into what happened to Jou but I promise you'll get it in the next chapter and reading this one first will make the next one even better! So enjoy! And review! Oh and as always please forgive the tiny screw ups my mac makes as it tries it's hardest to become a document and the weirdness that happens after it's uploaded.  
  
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////  
  
Only an hour or so left of school and the detective still hadn't called! Seto grumbled irritably to himself as he navigated down through locker lined halls. He just needed to drop a few books off and he could skip the rest of day since the only thing he had left was the waste of time referred to as 'study hall'. A loud banging noise and some familiar sounding cursing caught his ears as he turned a corner.  
  
Jonouchi was frantically scooping a large pile of photographs and magazines that had apparently fallen from his locker back into it haphazardly, screaming as he did so. The emotion rolled off him in waves making even the hardened CEO take a step back.  
  
"I'll fucking kill you, you bastard! I can't believe you did it! You actually did it! I'll kill you! I'll..arg!" he slammed the door to his locker shut and punched it hard twice there after, effectively denting the locker and bruising his hand.  
  
"Fuck! " He held his bruised hand for a second and tried to catch his breath. "Fuck.." He sighed in a shaky voice that Seto could have mistaken for one used by someone holding back tears. Before he could confirm his suspicion, the blond was gone on to his next class at a quick pace.  
  
Such an emotionally violent outburst. Seto Kaiba scanned the hallway and seeing no one crept toward the newly dented locker. He reached out quietly toward the door as suddenly his cell phone rang cutting the silence and causing him to leap in surprise.  
  
He pulled out the phone quickly and flipped it down.  
  
"About time!"  
  
"Sorry Mr. Kaiba. I had to double check some information. You are paying for the best after all. "  
  
"I better be.'  
  
"I promise you wont be disappointed in my work, Mr. Kaiba. The encryption code you are waiting for is "10\/3REBD".  
  
"REBD?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How did you come up with that grouping?" The boy asked suspiciously into the phone.  
  
"Gotta go..check the site again with the same encryption tomorrow for more." was his quick response before the harsh sound of dial tone. He would normally be enraged at the gall of anyone to hang up on him but it had sounded urgent.  
  
Instead Seto smirked a bit. "10\/3REBD" Either that was one hell of a coincidence or this detective was not only the best of the best but had an annoying sense of humor as well.  
  
He started to rush to study hall (the closest place to a power source for the lap top) when he remembered the dented locker. Not wanting to waste time now he reached out and deftly yanked the locker open with one solid pull.  
  
He had been expecting an avalanche of papers and magazines but only a few were threatening to fall out and those he let fall right into his inquisitive hands. The first thing he found he was looking at was the back of a photograph that had been written on in magic marker.  
  
"Aren't you glad you glad you admitted you were wrong? I've included a few of the tamer pics for your enjoyment. Imagine, these could have been everywhere not just in your locker. See what I was saying about the legs? -L"  
  
Before Kaiba could ponder what this meant he had flipped the picture over. Quite a lurid image greeted him. A girl in black ripped fishnet stockings and a barely there thong was sitting in a chair legs wide open to the camera with help of lace bindings that held each ankle tight to the respective chair legs. Her bare chest was only covered by the portion of her arm bringing a cherry red popscile into her mouth. Red hair fell seductively into her eyes, although the eyes themselves were clouded over in either lust or some drug induced haze. Seto found the picture distastefully in the extreme. He felt a moment of pity for this poor girl, who posed as if she were some slut in need of punishment.  
  
He flipped through a few of the other pics, same girl, different lurid (and a few downright gross) poses and scenarios with the same words scrawled on the back. He pocketed the first one, a clue to investigate later. There was nothing else but a few dirty magazines with different letters sent from each stapled to the covers. They all read basically the same.  
  
"Dear Mr. Ciryl,  
  
We are pleased to inform you, we would be very interested to purchase the photos sent to us. Just give us the go ahead and our new centerfold will grace the next issue and your wallet will be that much thicker as per your suggested amount."  
  
It was signed with some non descript scrawl. As Seto closed the locker he sighed to himself at this new mystery. Why had all this caused such a reaction? He took off down the hall toward study hall. He had the encryption code and once his lap top was fired up...maybe the answers would be there.  
  
The room was the very farce of a class as students chatted and passed notes. Seto went to his favorite spot, set up his lap top, and settled in as his fingers deftly typed the encryption. One -Zero- Backslash- Slash -Three- R - E - B - D. The screen rolled up in lines of coding as he pressed ender. Finally the report he waited for. The detective kept it like a log of Jonouchis every movement and word. Seto sighed and tried to picture the information as it happened it. A few moments later a student ran his nails across the chalk board and everyone cringed , except for Seto Kaiba who seemed too engrossed in his computer to even hear a disturbance. 


	11. Findings part two

Author notes: Oh my god, sorry for the delay! I got preoccupied with work and then was suddenly obsessed with writing Inuyasha yaoi and One Piece yaoi Drabbles on livejournal. Check them out, my user name is Mishagirl(check my Communities page for the links). Hopefully you'll like this chapter and not be too mad at me. Look! I wrote a lot (enough for two chapters really but I didn't want to interrupt the flow)! Enjoy!  
  
((((We left off last time with Seto reading the report on what Jonouchi did after he bolted from their lunch date. A visit from Katsuyas sister to the school and an emotional outburst over a few pornographic pictures has the CEOs eyes searching the report for answers.))))  
  
It took a minute and a half for Jonouchi to flag down a cab, remarkably good timing in the mid-day lunch rush but still from the boys movements it wasn't soon enough. His voice was picked up easily by the bug Kaiba had placed on him right before the slap.  
  
"What was I thinking? I can't get too close to anyone now."  
  
The cab fought traffic to get to his publishing office downtown, and he exited the car with an expressionless face. The cab driver wouldn't have recognized the boy as the same frustrated youth that had entered his car ten minutes earlier but the significant tip he was being handed was all he saw anyway.  
  
On the steps a man with shoulder length black hair sat smoking a cigarette. Jonouchi stood next to him for a moment and seeing the man intended to stay in his current position, joined him on the steps.  
  
"Did I interrupt something?"  
  
"I told you on the phone you didn't."  
  
"So you weren't about to kiss Seto Kaiba?"  
  
Jonouchis eye twitched and his mouth moved to drop to the floor but was restrained at the last second.  
  
"Are you watching me?"  
  
"Oh, hit a nerve, did I? I have a friend who works there, they called me after I phoned you. I am surprised you move so quickly, usually once I have a lover they never leave." He put an arm around Jonouchi casually and leaned in close as if he were about to tell him a secret. Jonouchi pushed his arm off.  
  
"We're not lovers. Not now, not ever...It will never happen again."  
  
"All joking aside, you ready?"  
  
Jonouchi looked like he was about to protest at the joking comment but shut his mouth and nodded after thinking better of it.  
  
"Do you think a gun will really be necessary?"  
  
"Oh, I hope you don't need it but these boys have been undercutting us in our own territory. If you can't persuade them to stop, the leader has to be removed by force. I hope I am clear here."  
  
"And will there be clean up, Lyric, if it comes to that?" Jonouchi asked as he took the black case Lyric offered.  
  
"There's no need. These kinds of boys die all the time in their own power struggles. The cops won't take them seriously."  
  
Jonouchi nodded. Lyric handed him a slip of paper and Jonouchi looked at it and took off walking. As he departed heavy set man approached Lyric and held out a pile of photographs, a few magazines, a file folder, and a videocassette. Lyric stubbed out his cigarette.  
  
"The pictures of his sister and magazines go into his locker. The video and file get locked in the safe upstairs."  
  
"SISTER?!!!!" Seto Kaiba shouted in shock looking up from his laptop quickly. The rest of study hall ignored the CEO after a quick glance. Kaiba payed them no mind and pulled the photo from his pocket and stared. It was indeed the mutts baby sister. How had he missed it before!? He had even seen her this morning!  
  
This was something she would never do so his brain hadn't picked up on it. That and the make-up, could be the only reason.  
  
So Jonouchi was being blackmailed. What about the note on the back though? It had sounded as if the pictures were put in the locker as some sort of warning punishment but the interaction between the two showed no signs of unsatisfaction.  
  
Kaiba put a hand to his head in thought and sighed as he looked back to his lap top and scrolled up the page.  
  
Jonouchi moved with purpose through town until he reached the neighborhood in question. He checked the slip of paper and spotted a few nameless cronies on a corner. They had spotted him too and headed over menacingly.  
  
"Look what wondered in? I bet that suit cost a pretty penny...you don't think you're leaving here with it do you.?"  
  
"Actually, I do." Jonouchi took off his glasses and slipped them into his pocket. "I also want to meet with your boss please."  
  
"That's not going to happ.." started the larger kid as he moved to place a strong hand on the black suit. He didn't make it though as Jonouchi did a simple half turn and kicked him in the stomach sending the boy tumbling backwards. The two others took a step back at witnessing their strongest fighter being taken down without getting a punch in.  
  
"I said 'please'." Jonouchi stated like that explained it all. The boys conversed quietly among themselves and came to a decision as they helped their fallen comrade up.  
"We'll take you."  
  
Jonouchi nodded and followed them through the streets to a deserted and vandalized remains of a convenience store. As they entered they could hear cheerful laughing and some kind of celebration. As they turned the corner and the scene became clear Jonouchi stopped in the doorway as the other three pushed past him.  
  
"What happed to Roe?" asked a blond boy Jonouchis age who along with a short brown-haired friend seemed to be in charge and laughing until a moment ago. The throng of gang members suddenly turned silent at this and looked to Roe and his two friends. One flicked his head back to indicate their guest in the doorway.  
  
The brown haired kid stood and walked over to Jonouchi as the blond hurried after him. The kid pointed a finger at Jonouchis chest.  
  
"YOU! You have some nerve coming here, Katsuya!" The blond friend shoved him out of the way.  
  
"Stop it Jessie!" and practically tackled Jonouchi with a huge hug. "Katsuya!!! I missed you!"  
  
Jonouchi smiled and ruffled the blond boys hair.  
  
"It's been awhile, Curtis , Jessie."  
  
Curtis turned around to the confused gang.  
  
"Everyone! This Is Katsuya Jonouchi! He used to be the leader back when we were on the other side of town. Please respect him like you would me!" Curtis pulled Jonouchi to the grouping of couches and sat him down in the one he had just been sitting in.  
  
"Sorry about Jessie. He still hasn't forgiven you from leaving. You remember how much he used to complain about the planning back then? I think he just wants to pout like a child rather than admit you had a tough job."  
  
Jessie appeared from behind him and bopped his friend on the head.  
  
"Don't tell him that! It's not true anyway! He abandoned us for that Honda kid."  
  
"See what I mean? A little child. You left us in charge and taught us what we needed to know, hardly abandoning us. Although I know his feeling. I would have hoped the friendships of all of us would have out weighed that of one you barely knew. Still I understand. You wanted a cleaner life anyway so you're sister could one day be proud of you, right?" He paused a second. "And that begs the question, what are you doing back here."  
  
Seto groaned as he read. It's a test. A test Lyric planned on him failing.  
  
"I was caught in a trap of sorts and have certain unpleasant errands to run now. Is it true, you all have been selling drugs? Because I heard you were, and undercutting the yakuza on their own turf."  
  
"What?!" Jessie sat down on a chair across from his former boss. "We never sold drugs. It's too risky, you taught us that remember? And getting involved in the yakuza? That would be stupid!"  
  
Curtis nodded but his eyes never left Katsuya.  
  
Jonouchi sat back and rubbed his eyes. This was obviously not what he was expecting or wanting to hear.  
  
"Well the yakuza somehow thinks you are. You need to stop this rumor right now! Make sure no one from the gang is selling with the gang name. I was sent to deal with the problem. I believe you guys but if it continues to get back to the yakuza I can't promise your safety."  
  
"You're threatening us?" Curtis asked in an innocent voice.  
  
"No! Yes! I don't know! I'm supposed to deal with the problem. If there isn't one, fine but if there is and I ignore it we're both screwed!" He explained.  
  
"Believe us..we're not doing anything wrong. Welll..nothing too wrong anyway." Curtis offered. Several gang members snickered at this. "Hey, we're having a party later tonight. A celebration of sorts. I can't go into the details of course, unless you want to join up again. But you can come to the party."  
  
"Thanks, I'll think about it." but the tone of his voice told them it was unlikely. He stood and tried to give them a smile. "I've missed you guys, it's been fun..but I hope I don't have to see you again...for all of our sakes."  
  
Curtis flung an arm around Katsuyas neck and frowned.  
  
"Don't say that Katsuya. I haven't forgotten how you saved me. Come to the party okay?"  
  
Jesse scoffed at the show of emotion and growled,  
  
"Don't hang on him, Curtis. You're not ten anymore, you're a leader now. You're the one who is always saying he has a new life now."  
  
Curtis removed his arm and pouted. Jonouchi patted his head sadly and left with a wave. After he left Curtis's features tightened coldly. Jessie observed this and frowned.  
  
"Geez, and we were having such a good-time too. What do you want to do?"  
  
"I don't know yet. We have to call him, but I didn't think it would be Jonouchi."  
  
Jessie nodded.  
  
Jonouchi was back at the publishing company within the hour, taking a meeting with Lyric in a large office.  
  
"I have to believe them." Jonouchi finished as he explained what had happened.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I practically raised Curtis and Jessie back then. They're not liars."  
  
"But I am?"  
  
"You've basically admitted that before. Besides that is not what I meant to imply. Just maybe the information is wrong."  
  
Lyric looked at Jonouchi for a moment.  
  
"My information is never wrong. I thought you would know this by now."  
  
"They wouldn't do that. They couldn't."  
  
"I think they could. You all but told them you'd be killed if the problem wasn't fixed. That is not quite true of course but they still lied to you."  
  
"You don't know them!"  
  
"Fine, I suggest a bet then. My information is never wrong but if you want to take on those odds then thats fine."  
  
"What's your terms?"  
  
"You go to this party tonight. If you can't find some evidence they lied to you, then I'll give you your sisters pictures back. A few more bets like this and I'll have nothing on you. Provided you win."  
  
"You probably never even took pictures, but what if you win?"  
  
"Then you call me and tell me I was right. That I know what's best for you. And I get to choose one night you have to spend with me and do what I say."  
  
"I trust Jessie and Curtis." He stated confidently.  
  
"I take that as a yes, then?"  
  
"You're on."  
  
Jonouchi arrived back at his former gangs base a little after sundown and found himself the center of attention back on the same couch he had sat before. There was beer and several members who imbibed to much of it. A few of the members tried to get Jonouchi to reminisce about the old days and tell stories. He obliged them with a few blow by blows of his toughest fights.  
  
After a few hours of this Jonouchi noticed Jessie and Curtis slip away and skillfully followed them, giving the excuse to go find the john to the crowd around him. He found the two outside in a heated discussion and remained hidden beyond the corner ease dropping.  
  
"Katsuya coming here...it's a very bad sign. We shouldn't have invited him." Jessie was saying.  
  
"Are you kidding? Now we know he's on to us and we have to be careful. There wasn't anything we could do anyway. We can't go back on the partnership, we have no choice."  
  
"The drugs are bringing in the money but we might be double crossed. How did Katsuya know?"  
  
"We've just got to believe that Katsuya can fend for himself and will believe us."  
  
Jonouchi stepped from the shadows with his fists clenched.  
  
"I did believe in you and you have no idea what it just cost me. You bastards!"  
  
The two boys looked up in shock but hesitated only a moment before pulling a switchblade from their respective pockets. Jonouchi reached into his but found only the gun there and retracted his hand empty.  
  
In that momentary distraction, Curtis had the blade to Katsuyas throat.  
  
"I don't want to do this Katsuya, we're like brothers! Say you'll join us. Come back and stay this time. I can't let you go other wise."  
  
Jonouchi kicked Curtis away from him. The blade came up as Curtis flailed backwards and cut a line down Katsuyas cheek.  
  
"I could go into why that can't happen, and how pissed I am but I think I'll let my fists do the talking like old times."  
  
Jessie lunged at him but Katsuya dodged to the left at the last second and came down with an elbow upon his back. Jessie shot up into the blow, slightly deflecting it, while bringing his blade with him. The slice started at Katsuyas collarbone and traveled five inches up to end on his neck. Jonouchi clutched his neck and put all his force into the kick that connected with Jessies face sending him flying in a newly unconscious heap.  
  
Jonouchi turned to leave and found Curtis blocking his path. They stood silently for a moment before racing toward each other. Curtis managed a deep cut on his former bosses right side, while Jonouchi brought his fist up breaking Curtis's nose and following up with a hard elbow.  
  
Curtis was down and Jonouchi clutched at his neck and side. He walked into the street. Finding no cabs would pick up someone bleeding, he picked his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a few digits.  
  
"You were right, I was wrong. You obviously know what's best for me."  
  
"Sorry to disappoint you. Don't worry, you'll enjoy your time with me. Did you finish up there?"  
  
"No, they caught me off guard and now I'm bleeding. Can you send a car to drive me home?"  
  
"Should I send a doctor too?"  
  
"No, I don't think it's fatal."  
  
"I'm sending one anyway, you probably need stitches."  
  
"Maybe..listen I'm just going to patch myself up, but tomorrow I will take care of this. And I won't be fooling around." His hand subconsciously touched his pocket that held the gun.  
  
"I knew I could count on you. Expect a gift tomorrow, in exchange for your haste to take care of this."  
  
"Right now I just want to go home."  
  
"The car is already on it's way."  
  
Seto scanned the rest. Basically the mutt got into the car, got a few stitches, and went home. He took a deep breath. So it was the yakuza. His mind felt like it was going so fast he couldn't keep up with it. Now that he knew. What should he do about it? He looked around and noticed the class was almost empty, only a boy and a girl were still there playing duel monsters. A quick glance at his watch told him school had ended five minutes ago. He quickly started packing up his laptop as he heard the two talking.  
  
"Are you going to the game shop when we're done?"  
  
"No way! That old is a total lech. I only go when Yugi is working."  
  
"I thought he was today?"  
  
"I asked him during lunch and he said he had plans after school today but tomorrow should be fine. I'll just go then."  
  
"I was going to ask if I could go with you."  
  
"Sure, You need all the help you can get!"  
  
"Hey!"  
  
Seto froze for a moment as he realized the significance of what the girl had just said and with a snap of his briefcase ran from the classroom. 


End file.
